Subject: Bismillah [IslamCity] 7 Tips to Improve Your Relationship with the Qur'an

7 Tips to Improve Your Relationship with the Qur'an

ARE you one of those people who rarely touch the Qur'an? Or do you read daily, but
don't find it is having the impact on you that it should? Whatever the case may be,
these are some simple tips that can help you connect with the Qur'an.

1. Before you touch it, check your heart. The key to really benefiting from the
Qur'an is to check your heart first, before you even touch Allah's Book. Ask yourself,
honestly, why you are reading it. Is it to just get some information and to let it drift
away from you later? Remember that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
was described by his wife as a "walking Qur'an": in other words, he didn't just read
and recite the Qur'an, he lived it.

2. Do your Wudu (ablution). Doing your Wudu is good physical and mental
preparation to remind you that you're not reading just another book. You are about
to interact with God, so being clean should be a priority when communicating with
Him.

3. Read at least 5 minutes everyday. Too often, we think we should read Qur'an
for at least one whole hour. If you aren't in the habit of reading regularly, this is too
much. Start off with just five minutes daily. If you took care of step one, Insha Allah
(God willing), you will notice that those five minutes will become 10, then half an
hour, then an hour, and maybe even more!

4. Make sure you understand what you've read. Five minutes of reading the
Qur'an in Arabic is good, but you need to understand what you're reading. Make sure
you have a good translation of the Qur'an in the language you understand best.
Always try to read the translation of what you've read that day.

5. Remember, the Qur'an is more interactive than a CD. In an age of

"interactive" CD-Roms and computer programs, a number of people think books are
passive and boring. But the Qur'an is not like that. Remember that when you read
the Qur'an, you are interacting with Allah. He is talking to you, so pay attention.

6. Don't just read; listen too. There are now many audio cassettes and CDs of the
Qur'an, a number of them with translations as well. This is great to put on your
walkman or your car's CD or stereo as you drive to and from work. Use this in
addition to your daily Qur'an reading, not as a replacement for it.

7. Make Dua (supplication) . Ask Allah to guide you when you read the Qur'an.
Your aim is to sincerely, for the love of Allah, interact with Him by reading,
understanding and applying His blessed words. Making Dua to Allah for help and
guidance will be your best tool for doing this.

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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the
Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better.
Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those
who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)

{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and
then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and
does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by
you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will
have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them
being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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